What is the EASE Method?
EASE is for any student for wants to learn how to do a range of organic chemistry problems. The “EASE method” is a 4-step logical method for figuring out organic chemistry mechanism and synthesis problems. It is easy to apply and allows you to even figure out problems you may have never seen before. We have taken the EASE method and created a four part showing you how to implement it.
Warning: On the other parts of the site, we encourage you to skip around as you need to. However, with EASE we strongly suggest you take the time to go from start to finish. If you skip around the EASE method, you might miss an essential part and then not use the method properly, which could result in the wrong answers to some of your o-chem problems. On this one, take the extra little time to learn it the right way. You won’t regret it. (And it only takes about 2 hours)
EASE 1st Quarter: The four steps of the EASE method
EASE 2nd Quarter: Must know mechanisms
As part of your Elite subscription, you also get download access to the EASE e-book, click here for that.
A couple of notes about EASE
Let me state the obvious first: EASE is a video designed to help you learn how to do organic chemistry mechanisms and synthesis problems.
Now let me state the less obvious: EASE is not supposed to be a comprehensive organic chemistry video or course It is a supplement to your lecture and practice questions, but is not meant to replace them. In fact, your textbook and lecture notes are an essential prerequisite to understanding this book and using it properly.
We have found that using sports metaphors to teach organic chemistry helps all students, even ones who don’t watch or like sports. Therefore, organic chemistry is much like going to a football game:
1) You will need to understand the language before you can fully understand what is going on in the game. Believe it or not, organic chemistry is a foreign language to everyone when they first start. Initially, as your professor teaches a new topic, you will need to translate it in your head to properly understand what is going on. However, as you progress and become more fluent, you will not need to translate everything, you will just understand it.
2) You will need to know all of the players. Just like on the soccer pitch, if you don’t know what each reactant is supposed to be doing, you won’t know what is going to happen in the reaction.
3) You will need to know which molecules are going to be on attack (the offense) in which molecules are going to be attacked (the defense). For our analogy, molecules that attack will have electrons and molecules that get attacked are electron deficient.
4) All of the players sort of smell bad. Just like the French National Men’s Soccer Team, organic chemicals are notorious for their odors.
This video takes a methodical approach to teaching mechanisms and synthesis problems. First, we will review the new language (called organic chemistry) that you must learn, although you will have seen most of this through your textbook and lecture class. We will then teach you about all of the players, and finally show you how it all fits together and why reactions occur.
By the end of the video it is our goal to not only teach you how to write organic chemistry mechanisms, but also teach you how to think through problems you may have never seen before. You will be able to do this because the rules of organic chemistry will never change; you just need to know how each player is going to react in a given situation. Knowing this will allow you to think through any synthesis/mechanism problem which might get thrown at you.